Ultra-Faux Pho

This is… this is not even fake pho. This is a supremely lazy/fast approach to a slightly-influenced-by-Vietnamese-Pho dinner, but one that always goes off without a hitch in my house and can pretty much be done with any veg and meat you have. So here it is, my ultra-faux pho.

Using a spiralizer, julienne peeler, or just a regular vegetable peeler, turn your noodling vegetable into said noodles. You can also buy pre-noodled zucchini or sweet potato – they are increasingly available in neighborhood grocery stores (Trader Joe’s sells sweet potato ribbons and they are fantastic).

Set a medium-large stock pot on medium heat. If you are using raw meat**, brown meat on all sides in the stock pot before adding broth. If your meat is cooked (if you are using shredded chicken for example), add your broth to the pot first.

** please note, if you are The Real Deal and are using very thinly sliced pieces of raw meat as is traditionally done in real pho, you do not need to cook this ahead of time. Separate the pieces of meat and arrange them in your bowl so there is minimal overlap between one piece and the next. As you add your steaming hot broth to the bowl, it will cook the meat in a matter of seconds. By the time you sit down to eat, everything will be perfectly good to go!

Once the broth begins to steam (this will happen before it starts to boil), add all your veggies to the pot. Bring broth to a low boil and then lower temperature to simmer before adding cooked meat.

Once your meat is cooked through (or heated up), remove it from the pot. I usually just get it into the bowls we are going to use to eat out of. Removing the meat makes dealing with the eggs much easier!

One at a time, crack eggs into the broth. You can also crack the eggs into a small bowl first, which makes it a little easier to gently lower the egg into the broth – this should still be done one at a time. Slightly raise the heat so the broth is just at the boiling point – you definitely do not want a rolling boil here.

Once the egg whites are completely cooked (meaning they are white), it is up to you to decide how long you want the eggs to cook. If you want a runny yolk, I’d give them 2-3 minutes at most. For a more solid consistency, give them 5-6 minutes.

Gently remove the eggs from the pot (I use a slotted spoon) and add them to your bowl. Using a ladle, scoop broth and cooked vegetables into your bowl.